From class clown to Canadian idol

BY ERIK RADVON ERADVON@HOLDENLANDMARK.COM

Thursday

Oct 11, 2007 at 12:01 AM

RUTLAND - Winnipeg, Canada is not exactly synonymous with show business. For former Rutland resident Jon Ljungberg though, the city of 800,000 just north of North Dakota is his city of dreams. After working as a cartoonist and a stand-up comic, Ljungberg settled in Winnipeg, where he is the host of a popular morning program called 'Breakfast Television." For his work on the show, Ljungberg recently received the Canadian Broadcaster's award of excellence.

"I was surprised. It's like the equivalent of the Oscar for this industry. I'm just this beer-drinking guy from New England, I really didn't expect this," he said.

Ljungberg was born in Worcester and spent most of his teen years in Rutland. He attended WRHS, where he was known as the class clown.

"Academics wasn't my major focus, I'll put it that way. I did give voice to the afternoon announcements, though. Maybe that was a hint as to where my career would go," he said.

After graduating from WRHS with the class of 1980, Ljungberg attended art school in Worcester.

"I always loved art, and I continue to do it to this day," Jon said.

Right after college, Ljungberg landed employment with a company that placed caricature artists.

"These are the guys you see at events and theme parks who sketch people's faces. It was a fun job. They would send me all over the country. I ended up traveling to something like 38 states in a few years," he said.

It was through the caricature company that Jon first landed in Winnipeg. He traveled back to the city several times and soon became enamored with life in the north.

"You know, you hear it said so many times, but Canadians are really, really friendly. You could run them over with your car and they would apologize for stepping out in front of you," he said.

On the course to settling in Winnipeg, Ljungberg attended animation school in Hollywood and got into performing stand-up comedy while out on the West Coast. After a few open mic sessions, Ljungberg was hooked. He was able to leave drawing "Fruity Pebbles" commercials behind and hit the road as a full-time comedian.

"I started out as an opening act, playing in clubs all around the country. As I kept playing more places, I met more people. That's really what showbiz is about, making contacts. So my stand-up career kept growing and eventually I was playing big rooms in Las Vegas and headlining," he said.

While on the road, Lungberg performed with superstars like Celine Dion and Tom Jones.

As Ljungberg's career grew, so did his family. The traveling comic has two children at home.

"I love doing stand-up, but being on the road is grueling, and it's especially tough when you have a young family at home. I was kind of getting weary of sending faxes to my kids. Then the day came when I knew I had been on the road too long. I woke up in my own house and tried to order a pot of coffee from room service. The operator I dialed was just as confused as I was," he said with a laugh.

According to Ljungberg, the call for "Breakfast Television" came out of the blue. The manager of a club he often played referred him to TV producers who were looking for a "man in the street" type of personality.

"I went into the audition just being myself. I actually didn't really want the job at the time, because I was just about to sign a deal with a cruise line, and that's sweet work," he said. "But when the manager told me about this I thought what the heck, I'll give it a shot. They ended up hiring me and after two years I become the host of the show. I went from getting out of clubs at 4 a.m. to waking up at 4 a.m."

Ljungberg credits his success in part to the great group of people he works with. Producers, crew, and his co-host all play a huge part in making "Breakfast Television" work. "They're great," he said.

Ljungberg often recalls his Rutland roots on the show in a segment in which he reads the town's police log on the air.

"News from home; a skunk has been reported walking down the street," he jokes.

In addition to hosting three hours of live television five days a week, Ljungberg also does stand-up on weekends and has illustrated two children's books. He is currently working on writing his first book for youngsters and plans to set it partially in Rutland.

"The Spider cemetery will be in there, for sure," he said.

As for when the funnyman will venture south, Ljungberg says he plans a visit next summer.

"I love Rutland and that small-town feeling there," he said. "New England is just in my blood and I can't wait to come back."